Excavator bucket



I Jan. 18, 1966 A. WATTS 3,

EXCAVATOR BUCKET Filed June 17, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor 191/ L. Wfl7'7'5 Jan. 18, 1966 A. L. WATTS EXCAVATQR BUCKET 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1963 Inventor fiZfl/V L I l/19775 Artur 13g Jan. 18, 1966 A. L. WATTS 3,229,835

EXCAVA'I'OR BUCKET Filed June 17, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 4o 0 n 40 /4 V 4/ Jan. 18, 1966 A. L. WATTS 3,229,835

EXCAVATOR BUCKET Filed June 1'7, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 lnvenlor All? I. Wflrrj Jan. 18, 1966 AL. WATTS 3, i

EXCAVATOR BUCKET Filed June 17, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor AZ fl/V A. W577! United States Patent OffiCC 3,229,835 Patented Jan. 18, 1966 3,229,835 EXCAVATOR BUCKET Alan Leonard Watts, Coventry, England, assignor to Massey-Ferguson (United Kingdom) Limited, London, England, a British company Filed June 17, 1963, Ser. No. 288,315 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 23, 1962, 24,24,3/ 62 5 Claims. (Cl. 214-138) This invention relates to material handling apparatus for digging or excavating materials such as earth and, in particular, to an improved material handling bucket including means for ejecting material therefrom.

Material handling buckets of the type referred to above may be used on various types of material handling or excavating apparatus such as, for example, front end loaders, back hoes and the like. Referring to a back hoe by way of further example such an apparatus typically comprises a boom having its inner end connected to a pivot post carried at the rearward portion of a vehicle for lateral swinging movement relative thereto while such inner end of the boom is also pivoted to such post for raising and lowering movement of a suitable hydraulic ram or the like, a dipper arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the outer end of the boom and adapted to be raised or lowered or swung in a vertical plane by another hydraulic ram or the like, and a material handling or excavator bucket pivotally connected to a lower end of the dipper arm for swinging movement about a horizontal axis among digging, load-carrying and dumping positions under the influence of another hydraulic ram or the like operatively connected between the dipper arm and the bucket. Thus, the boom and dipper arm may be controlled by their associated rams independently or conjointly to position the bucket for digging, carrying and dumping purposes, while the bucket actuating ram is relied on primarily to provide the power required for actually digging or excavating the earth or other material for retention in the bucket and subsequent dumping therefrom.

It often occurs, particularly when such an apparatus is working in various wet materials or earth or those having a considerable clay or otherwise sticky adherent constituency, that the material or earth has a tendency to adhere to the walls of the bucket during dumping of the latter, thereby preventing the bucket from receiving a full load upon a subsequent digging action and resulting in a loss of production efficiency. Furthermore, due to particular design considerations, it often occurs that a given bucket of a given piece of apparatus of this type may have a relatively limited dump angle or, in other words, the vertical angle between a horizontal plane and the plane of the bucket bottom wall at the mouth thereof. Under such circumstances, even when Working with relatively dry non-sticky materials or soils, problems can be presented in entirely discharging from the bucket all the material previously dug thereby. In the final analysis, in situations such as those referred to above, the gravitational forces relied upon to completely discharge material from the bucket are often inadequate for this purpose.

In view of the foregoing considerations, the present invention is directed to a material handling apparatus of the general type aforementioned including boom means, a bucket including laterally spaced side walls and a bottom wall or closure member extending therebetween and defining therewith a bucket mouth, means pivotally mounting such bucket on said boom means for swinging movement between load-carrying and dumping positions, ejection means mounted within the bucket for movement therethrough in opposite directions, and means pivotally mounting such ejection means for swinging movement relative to and through the bucket toward and away from the mouth thereof automatically in response to pivotal movement of the bucket toward the dumping and loadcarrying positions thereof, respectively.

The invention further comprises stop means limiting swinging movement of the aforementioned ejection means toward and away from the mouth of the bucket, respec tively, as the bucket is swung between the aforementioned positions thereof. In this regard, such stop means is more specifically characterized by means fixed relative to the bucket and automatically engageable with the ejection means to cause the latter to move in unison with and to be confined within the bucket as the latter is swung toward and to the dumping position thereof, and additional means fixed relative to the ejection means and automatically engageable with means fixed relative to the aforementioned boom means supporting the bucket to prevent movement of the ejection means away from the mouth of the bucket and to move the ejection means relative to the bucket toward the mouth thereof as the bucket is pivoted toward and to the dumping position thereof whereby, as the bucket is dumped, theejection means moves through the bucket toward the mouth thereof to eject material therefrom.

In its more specific aspects, the apparatus of this invention comprises a boom pivotal about a horizontal axis, first actuating means for pivoting the boom, a dipper arm mounted onthe boom and pivotal about a horizontal axis intermediate its ends, second actuating means for pivoting the dipper arm, an excavator bucket pivotally mounted on the dipper arm about a bucket axis, which bucket includes laterally spaced side Walls and a closure member or bottom wall extending laterally therebetween and around a substantial peripheral length of the side walls to form a scoop bounded by the side walls and closure member, third actuating means for pivoting the bucket, and an ejector blade in the form of a U-shaped' loop mounted on the axis of pivotal movement of the bucket and being freely swingable through the scoop between fixed limit positions whereby, on swinging movement of the bucket, the ejector blade passes adjacent to the walls and closure member of the bucket to remove material adhering thereto.

The present invention also contemplates a material handling or excavating'bucket including spaced side walls, a closure member or bottom wall extending laterally between and joining the side walls and extending around a substantially peripheral portion of the length of the'latter so as to form a scoop bounded by such side walls and such closure member or bottom wall, the bucket being pivotal by actuating means about an axis extending between the side walls thereof and further including an ejector blade in the form of a U-shaped loop mounted on such axis and being freely swingable through the scoop between fixed limit positions whereby, on swinging movement of the bucket, the ejector blade passes adjacent to the walls and closure member or bottom wall of the bucket to remove material adhering thereto.

In this regard, it is preferred that the sidewalls of the bucket be of an approximate secton shape, with the aforesaid pivot axis being disposed at the apex of such sectors. Furthermore, it is also preferred that the ejector member be swingable about the bucket pivot axis, and that the ejector blade be bent to the same cross sectional shape as the bucket and be of slightly smaller cross sectional area than the area of the latter so that the blade may swing through the bucket adjacent the side walls and closure member or bottom wall thereof.

In addition, the present invention also comprehends means for permitting the ejector blade to move beyond one of its limit positions as aforementioned in conjunction with disposing the bucket in a transport position.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side eleativonal view in section of a bucket illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention, the bucket being shown in approximately its extreme roll back position which it may assume in digging or dumping material;

FIGURE 2 is a view corresponding generally to FIG- URE 1, but showing the bucket in an extreme roll forwar position which it may assume in carrying a load which has been dug and is being retained in the bucket;

FIGURE 3 is a View corresponding generally to FIG- URES -1 and 2, but illustrating the disposition of various components of the bucket while it is being moved from the position of FIGURE 2 toward the position of FIG- URE 1 as during the ejection or dumping of a load;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view in section of a bucket illustrating another preferred embodiment of the invention, with the bucket being shown in a position corresponding generally to that of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a front end view looking into the ejector blade associated with the bucket of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a view corresponding generally to FIG- URE 4, but illustrating the bucket and various components thereof rearranged in transport position;

FIGURE 8 is a view corresponding generally to FIG- URE 4 but illustrating the bucket in a load-carrying position corresponding generally to FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 9 is a view corresponding generally to FIG URE 4, but illustrating the position of the bucket and the instrumentalities associated therewith during movement of the bucket from the load-carrying position of FIGURE 8 to a dumping position of FIGURE 4 and, in this regard, corresponds generally to FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a material handling apparatus, specifically a back hoe, constructed in accordance with this invention.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 10 illustrates the tractor 1 mounting a boom 2 which can swing laterally with the pivot post 3 about the usual vertical mounting axis of the latter on the tractor and which can also swing in a vertical plane about the horizontal pivot connection 4 thereof to the pivot post under the control of the hydraulically actuated boom ram illustrated as being operatively pivotally connected between the boom and the pivot post. A dipper arm 5 is mounted at the outer end of the boom and is pivotal about a horizontal axis 6 under the control of the dipper stick ram illustrated as being operatively pivotally connected between the dipper arm and the boom. A material handling or excavator bucket 7 is mounted on the dipper arm 5 and is pivotal about a horizontal axis 8 for swinging movement among digging, loadcarrying and dumping positions, such pivotal swinging movement being controlledby means of a bucket actuating ram 9.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 through 3 and one preferred embodiment of the bucket, the latter is illustrated as being composed of two laterally spaced sector shaped side plates or walls 10 joined at their circumferential or peripheral edges by a curved closure member or bottom plate 11. Approximately at the center of the radius of curvature of the circumferential edges of the side walls, bosses are provided to carry a pin 13 which is adapted to pass through and be journaled therein and to be restrained from axial movement by conventional means, not shown. The pin 13 also passes through a central sleeve 14 disposed between the side walls of the bucket, and which sleeve includes at each of its ends a flange 15 on which is formed two angularly spaced stop lugs 16 and 17.

The ejector blade provided to assist in the removal of material from the bucket comprises a single metal strip.

20 formed as a U-shaped loop having a transverse cross sectional shape corresponding to that of the bucket but. being of slightly smallerv dimensions than the latter so.

that the blade is capable of being positioned wholly within the bucket. The upper ends of the laterally spaced side legs or portions 20A of the strip are secured to the respective flanges 15 and extend therefrom adjacent the bucket side walls 10, and have the other ends thereof joined by a transverse base portion 20B extending across the bucket adjacent the bottom wall or closure member 11 thereof, the portions or legs 20A and 20B forming the generally U-shaped loop aforementioned. The ejector blade is manufactured from a single strip and its ends are cranked inwardly to a position to enable it to be bolted to the flanges 15 on the mounting sleeve 14. The lateral spacing between the side portions or legs 20A of the ejector and the axial length of the mounting sleeve 14 are less than the distance between the inner faces 'of the two bosses aforementioned on the side walls of the.

blade or side portions 20A thereof secured to flanges '15.: One substantially radially extending edge 50 of each side wall 10 together with the transverse edge 23 of the adjoining bottom plate or closure member 11 constitute or define the mouth of the bucket, the transverse edge 23 being provided with a sharpened blade 24 for the purpose.

of cutting'the earth or other material and facilitating the filling of the bucket. Teeth 25 are secured to the blade 24 to break up the earth or like material prior to its being scooped into the bucket. Stop pins 26 projecting inwardly from at least one of the side walls of the bucket, and

preferably both, are positioned near the front edges of the bucket and are provided to prevent movement of the ejector blade out of the bucket under certain conditions of operation as will appear hereinafter.

On the edges 27 of the bucket side walls remote from the bucket mouth, a lug mounting plate 28 extends between the bucket side walls and carries a pair of lugs 29 for the attachment of one end of the bucket actuating hydraulic ram 30, corresponding to ram 9 previously described. Movement of this end of the ram causes the bucket to swing about the axis of the pin 13 relative to the dipper arm 22 among digging, load-carrying and dumping positions. In other words, extension of the ram 30 pivots the bucket from-the position shown in FIGURE 1 toward and to the position illustrated in FIGURE 2 and toward the tractor mounting the apparatus to dig and scoop mate rial into the bucket, while contraction of the ramswings the bucket in the opposite direction from the position of FIGURE 2 through the position of FIGURE 3 to the position of FIGURE 1 and away from the tractor.

The operation of the foregoing apparatus and particularly the bucket and ejector blade thereof will now be described. It will be assumed that the bucket is fully rolled back, as shown in FIGURE 1, to assume a digging position after dumping a subsequently dug load. The

dipper arm 22 is then lowered so that the earth-cutting blade 24 and teeth 25 enter the ground, at which time the bucket actuating ram 30 is extended to cause the bucket to roll forward toward the tractor and to dig and scoop material thereinto. During this forward rolling motion, the stop pin or pins 26 move with the associated side wall or walls of the bucket in an arcuate path about the axis of the pin 13 and counterclockwise in FIGURE 1, and the freely mounted ejector blade 20 could and may follow such pin or pins until it reaches a position where it hangs substantially vertically by gravity as illustrated substan tially in FIGURE 2. However, as the earth or other material being dug enters the mouth of the bucket, it tends to push the ejector blade or hold it away from the. mouth .of the bucket movingrelatively away therefrom, the blade with the bucket.

not forming any substantial impediment to the entry of earth into the bucket. When the bucket is sufficiently full, the operator may roll the bucket forwardly toward the tractor by fully extending the ram 30, so that the bucket and ejector blade assume their load-carrying positions of FIGURE ,2, and the operator thenlifts'the dipperarm 22 andthe bucket clear of the ground. Thereafter, the boom 2 may be swung laterally with the pivot post 3 to the area or position in which it is desired to unload-the bucket.

To unloadthe bucket, it is rolled back toward its unloading or dumping position, also illustrated by FIGURE 1, by means of contracting the bucket ram .30. At some point during this roll back from the FIGURE 2 toward the FIGURE 1 position andas illustrated in FIGURE 3, the resistance of the material contained within the bucket, and particularly that adhering to the bottom wall or closure member 11 and side walls thereof, cause the stop lugs 16 to abut against the lugs 21 adjacent the end of the dipper arm 22, -and the ejector blade 20 is thereby prevented from freely rotating back any further in unison Consequently, as the bucket continues to .roll back from a position such as that illustrated in FIGURE 3 to the dumping or unloading position of FIG- URE 1, it moves past what maybe considered to be the stationary ejector blade '20. As a result, earth or other material contained .within the bucket is expelled therefrom completely.

The purpose of the stop pins 26 secured to one or more of the side Walls of the bucket adjacent the mouth thereof is to engage with the side portions or legs 20A of the ejector blade as illustrated in FIGURE 1 to prevent the latter from freely swinging out through the mouth of the bucket as would otherwise be possible.

Referring now to the embodiment illustrated in FIG- URES 4 through 9, parts shown therein corresponding to those parts previously described are illustrated by the same reference numbers. In this embodiment, the bucket is designed and is of such a cross sectional form as for digging deep trenches. For reasons which will be readily apparent, it often occurs that a bucket of this type is not capable of being transported with any degree of safety since it may foul the ground. Accordingly, means are associated with the bucket of this embodiment to dispose the latter in a relatively high transport position.

More specifically, the stop lugs 16 and 17 are mounted on flanges 40 which are rotatably mounted on the sleeve 14. The ejector blade is bolted to a plate 41 secured to the sleeve 14, and this plate has a radially extending ear 42 having a hole 43 bored through it. The flanges 40 are provided with holes 44 which may be brought into registry with the hole 43 in the ear 42 so that a pin 45 may be used to lock the flanges 40 and ejector blade together for use in normal digging operations as previously described.

Alternative holes 46 for accommodating a pin 47 adapted to pass through the end of the bucket actuating ram 30 are provided through the side walls 10 at a position remote from the normal attachment lugs 29 and on the opposite side therefrom of the pivot pin 13. With the pin 45 inserted in the holes 44 of flanges 40 and the hole 43 in the ear 42, the flanges 40 and ejector blade are locked together for normal digging operations as previously described. Thus, the bucket and the ejector blade may be manipulated by the bucket actuating ram 30 from the digging position of FIGURE 4 to the load=carrying position of FIGURE 8 and back from the latter to FIGURE 4 which also illustrates a dumping position, during which travel it passes through the intermediate position of FIG- URE 9 where the ejector blade is restrained from rolling back with the bucket to result in expelling the material from the latter as previously described,

When it is required to transport the bucket, the bucket actuating ram 30 may be detached from the lugs 29 and the pin 45 securing the flanges 40 to the ejector blade is removed, thus allowing both the bucket and the ejector blade to swing freely on the end of the dipper arm 22. The pin 47 may be then passed through the alternate holes 46 on the bucket side walls 10 and the bottom eye of the ram 30 connected thereto, whereby the ram may be extended to turn the bucket to a transporting position as illustrated in FIGURE 7 close beneath the dipper arm and the boom. The ejector blade in these circumstances offers no resistance to such movement since it is disconnected from the flange 4.0 and the-associated stop 17.

I claim:

1. Anexcavating machine including a boom pivotable about a horizontal axis, first actuating means for pivoting said boom, a dipper arm mounted onsaid boom and pivotable about a horizontal axis intermediate its ends, second actuating means for pivoting said dipper arm, an excavator bucket pivotally vmounted on said dipper arm about a bucket axis, said bucket including spaced side walls and a closure member joining said side walls and extending round a substantial peripheral length of said side walls so as to form a scoop bounded by said side walls and saidclosure member, third actuating means for pivoting said bucket, an ejector blade in .the form of a loop mounted on said axis and freely swingable through said scoop between fixed limit positions, whereby upon swinging movement, said ejector blade passes adjacent to the wall and closure member of the bucket to remove material adhering thereto, one of said limit positions being defined by a =first abutment carried by one of said side walls and adapted to cooperate with said ejector member to confine the latter within said scoop, the other of said limit positions being defined by a second abutment associated with said bucket axis and engageable by a stop swingable with said ejector member, and means for disassociating said stop from said ejector member to permit pivotal movement of the latter beyond said other limit position.

2. A material handling bucket comprising laterally spaced side walls, a closure member extending between said side walls and defining therewith a bucket mouth, means pivotally mounting said bucket for swinging move ment between load-carrying and dumping positions, ejection means including a generally U-shaped blade having the upstanding side legs thereof disposed respectively adjacent the side walls of said bucket and the base leg thereof extending laterally therebetween adjacent said closure member, means pivotally mounting said ejection means for automatic free swinging movement in opposite directions through said bucket in response to pivotal movement of the latter between said positions thereof, first stop means fixed relative to said bucket and engageable with said ejection means to limit swinging movement thereof in one direction toward said bucket mouth and to confine said ejection means within said bucket as the latter is pivoted to said dumping position thereof, second stop means including means fixed relative to said ejection means to limit swinging movement thereof in the opposite direction away from said bucket mouth as said bucket is pivoted toward said dumping position thereof, and means for disassociating said second stop means from said ejection means to permit pivotal movement of the latter further in said opposite direction.

3. A material handling bucket comprising laterally spaced side walls, a closure member extending between said side Walls and defining therewith a bucket mouth, means pivotally mounting said bucket for swinging movement between load-carrying and dumping positions, ejection means extending between said side walls of said bucket, means pivotally mounting said ejection means about the axis of pivotal movement of said bucket for automatic free swinging movement in opposite directions through said bucket in response to pivotal movement of the latter between said positions thereof, first stop means fixed relative to said bucket and engageable with said ejection means to limit swinging movement thereof in one direction toward said bucket mouth and to confine said ejection means Within said bucket as the latter is pivoted to said dumping position thereof, second stop means including means fixed relative to said ejection means to limit swinging movement thereof in the opposite direction away from said bucket mouth as said bucket is pivoted toward said dumping position thereof, and means for disassociating said second stop means from said ejection means to permit pivotal movement of the latter further in said opposite direction.

4. A material handling bucket comprising laterally spaced side Walls, a closure member extending between said side walls and defining therewith a bucket mouth, means pivotally mounting said bucket for swinging movement between load-carrying and dumping positions, ejection means disposed between said side walls of said bucket, means mounting said ejection means for movement in opposite directions relative to said bucket as the latter moves between said positions thereof, stop means cooperably engageable with said ejection means to limit movement thereof in one direction relative to said bucket away from the mouth of the latter as said bucket is moved toward said dumping position thereof, and means for disassociating said stop means from said ejection means to permit relative movement of the latter further in said one direction relative to said bucket.

5. An excavator bucket including spaced side walls, a closure member joining said side walls and extending round a substantial peripheral length of said side walls,

said bucket being pivotal about an axis extending between said side walls thereof and including an ejector member in the form of a generally U-shaped loop mounted on said axis and freely swingable through said bucket between fixed limit positions whereby, upon swinging movement of said ejector member, the latter passes adjacent to said side walls and closure member of said bucket to remove material adhering thereto, one of said limit pos'i-:

tions being defined by first stop means fixed relative to said bucket and engageable with said ejector member, the other of said limit positions being defined by second stop means associated with said axis and engageable by a stop swingable with said ejector member, and means for disassociating said stop from said ejector member to permit pivotal movement of the latter beyond said limit position.

References Cited by the Examiner HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN EXCAVATING MACHINE INCLUDING A BOOM PIVOTABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, FIRST ACTUATING MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID BOOM , A DIPPER ARM MOUNTED ON SAID BOOM AND PIVOTABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, SECOND ACTUATING MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID DIPPER ARM, AN EXCAVATOR BUCKET PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID DIPPER ARM ABOUT A BUCKET AXIS, SAID BUCKET INCLUDING SPACED SIDE WALLS AND A CLOSURE MEMBER JOINING SAID SIDE WALLS AND EXTENDING ROUND A SUBSTANTIAL PERIPHERAL LENGTH OF SAID SIDE WALLS SO AS TO FORM A SCOOP BOUNDED BY SAID SIDE WALLS AND SAID CLOSURE MEMBER, THIRD ACTUATING MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID BUCKET, AN EJECTOR BLADE IN THE FORM OF A LOOP MOUNTED ON SAID AXIS AND FREELY SWINGABLE THROUGH SAID SCOOP BETWEEN FIXED LIMIT POSITIONS, WHEREBY UPON SWINGING MOVEMENT, SAID EJECTOR BLADE PASSES ADJACENT TO THE WALL AND CLOSURE MEMBER OF THE BUCKET TO REMOVE MATERIAL ADHERING THERETO, ONE OF SAID LIMIT POSITIONS BEING DEFINED BY A FIRST ABUTMENT CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID EJECTOR MEMBER TO CONFINE THE LATTER WITHIN SAID SCOOP, THE OTHER OF SAID LIMIT POSITIONS BEING DEFINED BY A SECOND ABUTMENT ASSOCIATED WITH SAID BUCKET AXIS AND ENGAGEABLE BY A STOP SWINGABLE WITH SAID EJECTOR MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR DISASSOCIATING SAID STOP FROM SAID EJECTOR MEMBER TO PERMIT PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE LATTER BEYOND SAID OTHER LIMIT POSITION. 